SPRAOI ag Tuistí agus Leanaí i gCeatharlach i Mí Iúil
July 2, 2013
Education and Training Boards replace VECs
July 2, 2013
Major reform will deliver more than €2m savings annually
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., has today announced the establishment of 16 new Education and Training Boards (ETBs), that will replace the 33 Vocational Education Committees (VECs).
Minister Quinn said: “Today marks a new era for education and training in Ireland. The new ETBs will strengthen locally managed education and enhance the scale of local education and training. This represents a major component of the public service transformation agenda. At a time when the need for training and reskilling has never been more important, it is crucial to provide appropriate programmes and courses that offer students and learners the best opportunities to progress. We must do all of this while providing value for money to the taxpayer.”
This major reform will reduce the number of Chief Executive Officers in line with the number of bodies and full year savings are estimated at €2.1m.
The new configuration paves the way for exciting new provisions that will provide for the establishment of SOLAS, the dissolution of FÁS and the transfer of training functions to the newly formed Education and Training Boards. The Further Education and Training Bill 2013 to provide for the establishment of SOLAS will be enacted this month. It is envisaged that SOLAS will be formally established before the end of this year.
As part of the change, the Irish Vocational Educational Authority will change its name to Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI). ETBI will represent the Education and Training Boards and promote their interests.
“I want to pay tribute to all stakeholders – staff, councillors, managers, parents, teachers and students – who will be instrumental in ensuring the success of the Education and Training Boards,” Minister Quinn said.
www.education.ie
Comórtas grianghrafadóireachta ‘Is álainn í an Ghaeltacht’ – Údarás na Gaeltachta
July 2, 2013
Doirn buailte ar son an ghaeloideachais!
July 1, 2013
Gaelscoil na bhFál – 25 Bliain ag Fás
July 1, 2013
Anseo app: The era of the digital Gaeltacht is upon us
July 1, 2013
A new app for Irish speakers was launched this week by Diaga Teo.
Anseo, which is now available on both the Apple App Store and the Android Marketplace, links up Gaeilgeoirí from all over the country, creating a digital link between Irish speakers, learners, businesses, cultural groups, schools and other Irish language organizations.
The main function of the app is that Irish speakers will be able to find each other through a GPS system. People will be able to seek out others who can speak Irish in their locality, as well as Irish language businesses and organisations and Irish language events surrounding them.
Watch the short video on Gaelport.com
Four Buncrana natives, Colum Óg Mac Lochlainn, Ciarán Mac Lochlainn, Anicka Krajickova and Michael Flanagan developed Anseo, which was funded by Foras na Gaeilge under their Innovation in Business scheme.
“The revolution is coming” is the slogan being used by Diaga Teo for the app, and without a doubt the digital Gaeltacht has arrived, with a new-age network for Irish language speakers in Anseo App.
This is the next level of social networking through Irish, following on from www.abairleat.com and the #Gtuít on Twitter.
More information on the app is available at www.anseoapp.com.
Singer to return for Gaelscoil concert
July 1, 2013
Derry singer and vocal coach Aindree Reece Sheerin will return to the city to perform in a concert to raise funds for Gaelscoil na Daróige.
Mr Sheerin left Derry in the 1980s and was an opera singer for a number of years before a motorcycle accident dramatically altered his life.
The Derry native, who is now a wheelchair user, was determined to remain in music and retaught himself to sing and is now a successful vocal coach and performer. He now performs across the world with his musical partner, Kim Spaargaren, as well as helping others with their singing.
Mr Sheerin said music has always been a major factor in his life.
“I used to be an opera singer but I had a motorcycle accident 17 years ago which left me in a wheelchair. Music was my first love and my mother used to say I could sing before I could talk so I wanted to keep singing but it meant learning to sing all over again.
“Sitting down creates breathing difficulties for singing in terms of the position of the diaphragm so that was something I had to work on,” he said.
He is now part of a musical duo called ‘Too Kool Katz’ and regularly performs across the world. “We perform jazz, blues and swing era songs with a smattering of favourite numbers from Musicals such as Blood
Brothers, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar and Les Miserables thrown in for good measure so there will be something for everyone,” he said.
The singer said his experiences made him want to help others with his music. “As well as performing I do music therapy for people with Parkinsons and Alzheimer’s.
The Alzheimer’s therapy is purely memory based and no matter where I am in the world or what language is spoken we can always find a song people will know. The Parkinson’s therapy owes more to my operatic training around breathing,” he explained.
Mr Sheerin said he is looking forward to coming back to Derry.
“I’m coming home to sing at a family wedding and it is a great privilege to be asked to do this concert ,” he said.
The concert will take place in Pitchers on August 21 and tickets are now available from Gaelscoil na Daróige and Pitchers.
www.derryjournal.ie
‘Cuisle na Cheoil’ – Contemporary Irish music school
July 1, 2013
Irish language umbrella group, POBAL are organising the first week-long school in contemporary Irish music for secondary school pupils.
‘Cuisle an Cheoil’ or ‘Pulse of the Music’ will run from 1 -5 July 2013 in Coláiste Feirste, at Beechmount Park in Belfast.
Throughout the week a series of master classes and Irish language workshops will take place with experienced musicians which focus on different aspects of music. The workshops will offer basic information for those starting off in a career in music including social media marketing, basic sound engineering and also offering practical tips and pointers on starting a career in the music industry.
This school is aimed at all Irish speaking secondary school pupils between the ages of 11 – 18 years. The cost for the week is £10 per person, £15 for a family of two, or £20 for a family of three.
Micheál Mac Giolla Gunna, principal of the school also welcomed the project and said ‘Coláiste Feirste aims to encourage our young people to become enthusiastic members of the Irish-speaking community in all its aspects. We are delighted that they will have this wonderful opportunity to develop their skills in and appreciation of music which they can then bring to our community as audience and as practitioners in the Arts’.
Places for ‘Cuisle an Cheoil’ will be limited and students are advised to register early. Students can register with Cormac in POBAL by sending an email to the following address: ofe@pobal.org. or calling : (0044) – (0)28-90438132.
Tionól Teagaisc Teaching Conference
July 1, 2013
A third Irish Language Teaching Conference organised by the support network for Irish language teachers, An tSeirbhís Tacaíochta Dara Leibhéal don Ghaeilge will begin on the 8th -9th November 2013.
The conference will take place in Cork and will start with the official opening on Friday evening and will commence on Saturday morning in UCC. Over 400 teachers attended the Teaching Conference last year which was held in Galway and hopefully the attendance will be higher this year. As part of this year’s conference many lectures and educational discussions will take place throughout the conference. There will be a wide range of practical workshops presented by individuals, teachers and other experts. Representatives from schools, providers of education equipment and materials, Irish language organizations and third level institutions will attend with exhibition stands, to inform individuals of the various language learning resources available to them.
Further information: An tSeirbhís Tacaíochta Dara Leibhéal don Ghaeilge Ionad Oideachais Átha Luain Bóthar Mhaigh Droma Átha Luain Co. na hIarmhí T: 0906-420401
E: oifig@muinteoirgaeilge.ie
Or visit: www.muinteoirgaeilge.ie
Conference on youth culture and literature
July 1, 2013
The third Conference on youth culture and literature will take place in Marino Institute of Education, Griffith Avenue in Dublin on 20th & 21st September 2013.
‘Mionteanga, Mórscéalta’ is the title and theme of this year’s conference on youth literature and culture, taking place next September. Youth culture and literature have come to the fore over the last few years and the focus of this year’s conference will be the importance of youth literature in a cultural and language based context. The aim of the conference is to spark both discussion and debate on overcoming the challenges facing the Irish language within literature and youth culture and will be geared towards educators, students, publishers, translators, artists and others interested in youth literature and culture.
More information: http://litriochtnanog.blogspot.com
